gregoryandkristin both good and bad. Most people think of placement when they're worried that they'll get too much sun in the afternoon, but there are other factors to consider too.
The good skylight is installed on a west sloping part of the roof that gets bright sun. It looks great and we love it (it has blinds that we use occasionally, we sprang for the remote control kind, which was worth it).
The two bad skylights were installed on a part of the roof where they're in full shade most of the day. (Our house is a split level, so the shade comes from the upper story.) As a result, the light coming in is weak and weird, kind of like having a really dim fluorescent light. It's a bit better in the summer when the angle of the sun is different, but unfortunately I wanted these skylights to help make the rooms brighter in the winter. It was an extremely disappointing and expensive mistake.
If I had known better, I could have mitigated it by choosing a larger size skylight and having them installed off-center in the room. That would have put them more out of the shade, but also the light would have bounced down one wall. Reflecting off the wall would have subtly amplified the light into the room, if that makes sense.
So, when you plan skylights, size and placement is extremely important. If you're in doubt, get a a lighting architect who can study the sun patterns and do virtual modeling for you.
Q
covering glass
Q